Meet Robyn Instagrams Crafty Beer Bitch of the North, and by North I mean our Canadian friends. Craft beer before Covid was one of those industries seeing exponential growth. Meet the people behind the scenes who help keep these brands in our minds fresh day by day.
Robyn, we like to kick things off with you telling us a little about yourself. Give us a little background on how “The Beer Bitch” came about.
R: Here in Vancouver we are blessed with an amazing craft beer scene and I have always loved trying new beers and visiting all our local breweries. My friends were always asking me for recommendations and I was constantly trying new beers, so I thought I would make an Instagram account just for fun for my friends to follow and see my recommendations. I never thought anybody else would be interested in seeing what I was drinking but here we are! As for the name, I came up with it at the lunch table at work. I said I wouldn’t make the account unless “The Beer Bitch” was available, and by some miracle it was!
We’d love to hear about how your passion for beer came about? Everyone has a different story, what’s yours?
R: Ever since I have been drinking beer has always been my drink of choice. Thankfully, my taste has evolved since I started drinking (no more Bud Lights for me). It was definitely a slow growing passion, I started with trying some of our lighter local craft beers and slowly worked my way up to the more “intense” brews. Now I’m a sucker for anything super hoppy.
What advice would you give craft beer breweries or beer companies looking to use the Instagram social media platform to grow their brand’s image? Would you give the same advice to craft brewers as you would to the established players in this market?
R: I don’t think it’s rocket science, I really just think it comes down to high quality photos and community engagement. In Vancouver and many other areas we have a super big beer Instagram community, and I think a lot of breweries are hesitant to reach out to us and get us involved. Taking the time to engage and build relationships within the community goes a long way, and I think that advice could apply to any brewery!
Once life past Covid begins to return back to normal, how do you think the world of craft beer will change? or do you think it will remain the same?
R: I don’t think anything will be the same – but only time will tell! I think the breweries have done an amazing job at adapting to the situation by offering home deliveries and remaining open for offsales. I think most breweries will still need to rely on these services as they all begin to open up at a limited capacity. Hopefully that is enough to keep everyone afloat. I’ve been trying my best to support smaller brewing operations during this time, and I hope everyone else has been doing the same!
What is your stance on influencers being paid to post about brands? Should influencers be transparent regarding payment for posts?
R: I see no problem with it as long as the influencer is being transparent. I would like to think that most influencers would only promote products that they stand behind, but of course there are many exceptions so transparency is super important.
How do you think the rise of influencer accounts on Instagram has impacted on the way that people discover restaurants/beers/bars/food?
R: I think it has really drawn attention to smaller businesses. Those who have accounts dedicated to food/beverage are the kinds of people who are constantly searching for hidden gems rather than sticking to chains or larger players. I have found countless restaurants/bars from Instagram that I never would have found if people weren’t posting about it.
General words of wisdom you live by….
R: Quality over quantity. Applies to both relationships, and beer.
What do you wish brands knew before approaching you on Instagram?
R: Though my handle is The Beer Bitch, I’d like to think I’m actually super friendly and approachable. Don’t be shy!
Top 10 favorite craft beers of all time:
R: This is the hardest question I’ve ever been asked, and this list will be forever changing. In no particular order:
Humans IPA, Parkside Brewery
Mount Benson IPA, White Sails Brewing
Flamingo Juice Mango Pepper Gose, Omnipollo
Go Easy Dry Hopped Pale Ale, Beere Brewing Co
All Eyez Banh Mi Sour Vietnamese Inspired Saison, Jolly Pumpkin x Monkish Collab
Aunt Florence Gruit, Barkerville Brewing Co
Merry Berry Milkshake IPA, Love Shack Libations
Blood Orange Super Gose, 33 Brewing Experiment
Luna Kolsch Style Ale, Ecliptic Brewing
Superaad Farmhouse IPA, Superflux Beer x Dageraad Beer Collab
On a personal note, what are some of the most important things in your life?
R: My cat (Daniel), family, friends, and an extensive skin care routine.
Best moments/memories/lessons of 2020?
R: This year really proved that everything can change in an instant, so just try to make the most out of every single day.
